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Jeanne Calment
Vital Records and Events 21st February 1875: Jeanne Louise Calment was born in Arles, rue Duroure. Her parents were Nicolas Calment, shipbuilder and Marguerite Gilles, without profession. In 1886 Jeanne is counted with her parents and maid Marguerite Minaud in section L at the new address, Roquette 53. Validators of Madame Calment claimed that she had only one address before marriage (at rue Duroure) but this is wrong. In an interview to Paris Match in 1988 Jeanne said that she was born at Roquette 53, but this is also wrong. In 1896 Jeanne is counted with her parents, Marguerite Minaud and grandfather Claude Gilles at Roquette 53. Validators of Madame Calment claimed that there was no census in 1896 but this is wrong. School Jeanne probably studied in Madame Benet school until her communion at the age of 13. This school was located at rue du Cloître but not at place Republique as written in the validation. Madame Calment said in different interviews that both Jeanne and Yvonne studied in this school but this school probably didn't exist any more in time of Yvonne. Then according to validation interviews, Jeanne studied at secondary courses at rue du Cloître. However, secondary courses were located at that street when Yvonne studied there. From 1886 till October 1889 the school was located at rue st. Paul then moved to rue du Cloître. If Jeanne continued her education at secondary courses then among her teachers probably were music teacher Mlle Gachon (already teaching being 18 years old) and mathematics teacher Dubourguet (newspaper Forum Republicain, 1986). Both teachers were mentioned by Madame Calment in her interviews with validators though when she was asked who taught her at school she didn't name Gachon. She said that children came to Gachons house to learn music. Other teachers mentioned by her were not found in the college in this period. She also said that servant Marthe Touchon accompanied her to school but she probably meant Marthe Fousson who was 10 years younger than Jeanne and was maid of Yvonne. Meeting Van Gogh Before marriage Jeanne was reported to paint a lot. Madame Calment said that her painting teacher was Ferigoule but he came to Arles only in 1897. The rose on the menu to the right probably dates 1898 so that it could be devoted to celebrating Yvonne's birth. Madame Calment first told the story about Van Gogh in 1987 to a journalist who covered the approaching centennial of Van Gogh's stay in Arles and searched for old people who met the artist. After that she quickly became famous. In her interview to AFP and in the Canadian film Vincent and Me she was reported to meet the artist in her father’s store which contradicted the fact that Nicolas Calment never had any store. In later interviews she said that it was the store of her husband Fernand Calment who presented her as his wife to Van Gogh who used to buy canvases there. Simonoff said that Van Gogh bought canvases in Calment’s store in May 1889. This story is not credible for several reasons. Jeanne was a girl when Van Gogh was in Arles, Van Gogh probably never bought anything in Calment’s store, his brother Theo usually supplied him with canvases but on a few occasions Vincent bought art supplies himself in other stores in Arles and it was well before May 1889. He left Arles for the asylum in St. Remy on May 8. Van Gogh biographers conclude that there is no evidence of the story told by Madame Calment to be true. Validators suggested that Van Gogh could buy a bed in Calment’s store. However, he lived rather far from this store and there were plenty of merchants closer to him while his well documented life style was hardly compatible with being a frequent guest in Calment’s store. The Calment’s store specialized in drapery and not in beds. Being not yet married, Jeanne was also not expected to visit this store frequently. According to Madame Calment, she didn’t go to the store. To conclude, even if Madame Calment was really Jeanne, this story was probably entirely invented by her to please journalists. Another example of invented story was the story that she “was never ill” which is not compatible with pleural sequelae on her chest x-rays. Thus we can assume that Madame Calment didn’t hesitate to play with truth which is consistent with switch hypothesis. Alliance Francaise bal Madame Calment said that Jeanne attended the bal when she was 16 years old and her dress was made by famous couturier Madame Chambourgon. She also said that there was another couturier after Chambourdon but she didn't recall her name. Alliance Francaise was established in Arles only since late 1895 when Jeanne was almost 21. The president was notary Arnaud who signed both Jeanne's and Yvonne's marriage contracts. There was indeed a couturier Chambourdon in Arles who died in 1898. Since 1884 there was another couturier Monier working on the same street with Chambourdon. Monier continued to work there as a couturier at least until 1914 when Yvonne Calment was 16 in 1914 and could attend the Alliance Francaise ball. Monier could tell Yvonne about her former colleague, she also could repair a dress with label of Chambourdon for Yvonne. We know that mother and daughter liked to wear similar dress, they "had same taste". Marriage and childbirth April 8th 1896 Jeanne married her double second cousin Fernand Calment. 19th January 1898: Jeanne and her husband Fernand had a daughter Yvonne Calment. In 1906 Jeanne is counted with her husband, daughter, mother in law Maria Felix and has a servant Marthe Fousson (born in 1885 in Fontveille) probably mentioned by Madame Calment as a maid who accompanied her to school. In 1912 she donated money for construction of a military aircraft "Frederic Mistral" (which was probably never built) 1931 census According to the 1931 census, the Calments' house on Gambetta Street in Arles was inhabited by homeowner Fernand Calment along with his mother Maria Felix, his wife “Maria” (the validators suggest that this was a confusion with his mother and should be read as Jeanne), Yvonne's husband Joseph Billot-Calment, Yvonne's son Frédéric Billot-Calment, Louise Gauzargues (born 1894), servant and cook and Pauline Cheylan (born 1895), maid. The validators explain the absence of Yvonne by a recopying error. However, an alternative interpretation is that Jeanne's health was by then in decline and the family provided obfuscating information in order to hide Jeanne's disease. One of these servants probably told her granddaughter about the switch. This granddaughter told the story to the director of the nursery home, but she didn't believe it. Property deals by signed by Jeanne Early Pictures of Jeanne Calment Picture of Jeanne Calment dressed in traditional Arlesian costume said to be taken at age 22. It appeared in the Paris Match article in 1988 and then in the books "L'oubliée de Dieu" by France Cavalié and La passion de vivre by Gabriel Simonoff. Another from around the same time and found in a number of sources, strating from 1988 Paris Match article. These pictures of Fernand and Jeanne were shown on the TV program "Sept-A-Huit" on TF1 in March 2019. Their origin is unknown but they are assumed to be early in the couples marriage because Fernand has not yet grown a beard. Corrida Madame Calment said that torrero Espartero died in front of Jeanne and Fernand Calment in Nimes. Indeed, this torrero got a wound in Nimes October 4, 1896 and died 4 days later. However, Yvonne Calment could here this dramatic story from her parents. Photos of Jeanne Calment from around 1900. In the following photos Jeanne has an identical hairstyle which suggests that they were taken at the same photographic session. The first one shows Jeanne and Fernand together. This was published in the book by Simonoff where it was claimed to be from 1900. This well known portrait has appeared in several books. Robine and Allard give her age here as 20, but the identical hairstyle to the previous photo means they were taken on the same day. This photo of Jeanne Calment was posted on facebook by Martine Crouanson on 3rd March 2019. Martine is a first cousin twice removed of Fernand Calment on his father's side. Photos of Jeanne Calment from 1910s. Two photos of Jeanne Calment survive from photographer Gustave Ouvière taken together around 1900-1915. Information is provided by the Pierre Fassin donation to the Arles mediatheque. The second photo apparently from the same sitting was used on an identity card in the 1930s. Jeanne at Piano with Fernand This photo with Jeanne playing piano and Fernand listening was shown on Belgian TV in 2019 along with some other photos, coming probably from family album of Gilberte Méry, daughter of Genevieve Calment, relative of Jeanne and Fernand Calment. The description by Madame Calment of the living room and the folding screen allegedely made by Jeanne while she was painting awaiting marriage fits well to this photo. According to her interview to her validators, "My father had changed the living room. The screen was taken away, as it wasn't fashionable any more, so the panels were taken out and shared - I gave them to friends". Possible Photo of Jeanne Calment from 1929 This photo was given to Muriel Blanchecotte-Devilette who worked in the Maison du Lac shortly after the death of Mme Calment by Mr. Marie along with his notes about Calments. It could be a picture of Jeanne Calment with her husband Fernand and their grandson Frédéric Billot-Calment (Freddy) at about three years old. The age of Freddy would date it to about 1929. There are striking resemblances with other photos. Unfortunately the quality of the picture is poor because it was produced from an original using a photocopier. Sceptics say that the clothing worn dates the picture to around 1900, but this is not reliable. The chairs are folding metal bistro chairs which were patented in 1889. They became popular for use outside bistros and later as garden chairs. Marie wrote that Madame Calment never met Van Gogh. According to him, it was Fernand Calment (Marie calls him "papa Nicolas") who sold canvases to the artist in the family store at rue Jouvenne so probably the famous description of Van Gogh by Madame Calment comes from him. Marie says that Fernand initially was going to marry sister of his grandfather, but changed his mind for reasons which are too long to explain. Switch Photo This is the only known photo showing Jeanne and Yvonne together. Jeanne is on the right. It appeared in the books of Robine and Allard from 1994 and Le Figaro in 1995, having probably originated in a local press report credited to Michèle Gil and all subsequent digital copies appear to have been scanned from the book or journal. It is possible that Allard and/or Gil still holds a photographic copy which may reveal important details. It is not known where or when the picture was taken, but Yvonne's hairstyle matches very closely the one seen in another pictures known to be taken at the Belvedere sanatorium for tuberculosis in Leysin. This picture must have been taken outdoors because the curtains of the window are behind the glass and the sharp shadow is characteristic of direct sunlight rather than interior lighting. The flowers could be Carline Thistle, a stemless alpine plant native to Switzerland and used as a herbal remedy for lung diseases including tuberculosis. It flowers in August and September. This flower grows near sanatoriums in Leysin. The low angle of the light which casts the shadow of Jeanne means that the picture must have been taken in the morning or evening and the window must be facing approximately east or west accordingly. No window that matches has been found in pictures of the Belvedere sanatorium so the location remains a mystery.